Blanchard — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 1892
- Capacity
- 18 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Morrison, MN
- Operating Since
- 1925
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- ALLETE, Inc.
- Parent Company
- ALLETE
- Annual Generation
- 81,834 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 51.8%
- Balancing Authority
- Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
- ISO/RTO
- MISO
- NERC Region
- MRO
Blanchard
OperatingHydro
Ranked #3 of 23 Hydro plants in MN#506 of 1454 nationally
18 MW Hydro operating in Morrison, MN — Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
EIAWD
18 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1925
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
45.8614, -94.3592
County
Morrison, MN
Nearby Plants
- Little Falls (MN)Hydro4.6 MW · 12.7 km
- W PlantNatural Gas4.6 MW · 12.7 km
- USS Brockway Solar CSGSolar1 MW · 22.9 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ALLETE, Inc. | ALLETE | — |
| Owner(s) | ALLETE, Inc. | ALLETE | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
About
The Blanchard hydroelectric plant is located in Morrison County, Minnesota. The plant, which began operating in 1925, has a total capacity of 18 MW across three generators. It is owned and operated by ALLETE, Inc. The primary fuel source is water (WAT), and the plant utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology.
Blanchard's latest annual generation was 81,834 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 51.8%. The plant operates within the Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) balancing authority and the MRO NERC region. Blanchard ranks as the 3rd largest hydroelectric plant in Minnesota out of 24, and 515th nationally out of 1464. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $787.06 per kW and a power purchase agreement (PPA) price of $40 per MWh.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
MRO
Balancing Authority
Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc..
Grid Voltage
115 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
4.3K MWh
Latest Month
81.8K MWh
Annual Generation
51.8%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1, FERC Electric Quarterly ReportsHIGH
$40.0/MWh
PPA Price
ALLETE, Inc.
Contract Seller
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Blanchard Substation · 115 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
MISO
LMP Node
MP.BLNCHR123
Pricing Hub
MINN.HUB
Location Type
Generation Node
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
General
Federal funding cut for major Twin Ports energy project
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Friday approved the sale of ALLETE, the parent company of Minnesota Power, marking a critical step...
Northern News Now·5 months ago
General
Gypsy Rose Blanchard released from prison
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison this morning after serving seven years for her role in the murder of her mother.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul·2 years ago
Industry·corporate
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A pay-what-you-can space for yoga, cardio workouts, meditation, acupuncture and cooking classes. Her newer endeavor, Heal Mpls, is a plant-based cafe filling...
MinnPost·2 years ago
General
Changing the dynamic: A focus on nutrition is helping residents of north Minneapolis to make lasting changes
Sierra Carter remembers what she described as the lowest point of her life. “I had severe anxiety and depression. I was the heaviest I've...
MinnPost·2 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-26
View all 10 articles